Bryce Amphitheater

If you can only spend a short time in Bryce Canyon National Park, then make sure that you visit Bryce Amphitheater.

The drive is only 8 miles and you can spend anywhere from 2 hours to a full day taking in the views and exploring the canyon.

If you are in Bryce Canyon early, be sure to watch the sunrise from Bryce Point, which is one of the highest overlooks on the rim of Bryce Amphitheater.

To get to Bryce Point, drive about 4 miles south of the visitors center. Take a short walk from the parking lot to the overlook.

As the sun rises over the 10,000 feet Aquarius Plateau the warm colors of Bryce Canyon begin to glow.

The first light will catch the rim of the amphitheater and then begins lighting up the basin as the sun continues to rise.

Look for the shallow caves along the rim called the Grotoes. As you look over the Bryce Amphitheater you will be able to make out different formations such as the sinking ship and the alligator. You will only be limited by your imagination.

After the sunrise, take a short drive back to Inspiration Point. From the parking lot you can walk up a steep but short trail to upper Inspiration Point. If the upper viewpoint is too strenuous, you can stay at the lower viewpoint. The views of the rock formations in the amphitheater are spectacular whenever you get to the overlooks.

If you look down into the valley, you will see the small town of Tropic, where Scottish emigrant Ebenezer Bryce and his wife homesteaded nearby in 1875. They tried grazing cattle in Bryce Canyon for just 5 years and then moved away.

From Inspiration Point, you can travel to Sunset Point. The viewpoint actually faces east, but in late afternoon the low angle of the sun brings out the gorgeous hues and intermingled shadows of the canyon.

As you look to your left you will see Thor's Hammer. Silent City is a maze of deep ravines that divide the canyon walls into what looks like the ruins of an ancient city.

The Navajo Loop Trail is a great hike if you want to drop into the canyon. The trail is a 1.3 mile loop, but it is a strenuous hike.

The trail drops quickly in a series of switchbacks into a narrow steep-walled gorge known as Wall Street. Take a look at the Douglas fir trees. Two of them are 500 years old.

As you continue down the trail you will come to the junction of the Queen's Garden Trail.

The trail winds along the bottom of the amphitheater to Queen's Garden and then climbs back to the rim at Sunrise Point.

This part of the trail takes you past very unique rock formations and the bristlecone pine trees.

From Sunrise Point, you can take the Rim Trail half a mile back to your car in the parking lot at Sunset Point.

If you have the opportunity, take the longer drive to Rainbow Point which is located at the most southern portion of the plateau.